By I. Hansana, Jadetimes News
Large parts of Australia are set to experience unseasonably warm weather, with temperatures expected to remain high through next week, reaching up to 12°C above the August average in some areas.
Sydney recorded spring like temperatures on Wednesday, with Observatory Hill reaching 26.1°C at 3 pm, just shy of last year's all time August high of 27.5°C. The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) had initially predicted that Monday would set a new August record with temperatures peaking at 28°C, but this was later revised to 25°C.
This warm spell comes amid three weeks of record breaking warmth across the southern hemisphere. According to BoM senior meteorologist Rohan Smyth, Central Australia has been experiencing intense heat due to clear skies and abundant sunshine. A low pressure system moving towards Western Australia is expected to concentrate this heat and push it into areas not typically as warm.
On Wednesday, Brisbane was forecast to reach 26°C, with warm conditions extending across much of the east coast. Melbourne, though expecting some showers, was forecasted to hit a high of 19°C. Smyth indicated that this widespread warmth is likely to persist, with above average temperatures forecasted through the middle of next week. By the weekend, the heat is expected to extend into western New South Wales, southwest Queensland, western Victoria, and Tasmania.
On Sunday, several regions could near or break their August temperature records. Melbourne is expected to reach 22°C, approaching its August record of 23.8°C set in 2013. Areas like northern South Australia, southern Northern Territory, and western Victoria could see temperatures soar to 12°C above average. For instance, Moomba, South Australia, could hit 36°C over the weekend, far surpassing its August mean maximum of 22.5°C, while Oodnadatta might reach 38°C on Friday, well above its monthly mean of 22.3°C.
Smyth noted that the east coast, including Sydney, could experience its warmest days as the new week begins. This trend of rising temperatures aligns with the southern hemisphere’s recent 23 day streak of record breaking warmth from July 19 to August 10, during which air temperatures were approximately 1°C above average levels more typical of mid spring than mid winter.
This warming trend is linked to global heating and unusually warm air around Antarctica, with further stratospheric warming expected over the South Pole by the end of August. Globally, 2024 has seen an unprecedented number of heat records shattered. Climate historian Maximiliano Herrera described the extreme heat events of this year as "beyond anything ever seen or even thought possible before," with February through July being the most record breaking months on record.
